Wood vs Carpet for studio floor

[russell]

moving into a new pad and have a choice of rooms to set up as my studio area.

Wondering what is best for studio monitoring purposes, wood or carpet?

I've read a few things saying wood but they were mostly relating to recording instruments with mics. I won't be doing this so don't know how vital either or will be.

One thing I found interesting is that carpet soaks up the highs and does pretty much nothing to the lows so it give off a muddy sound.

Any opinions please?

[yizzle]

if i were recording live shit, like instruments and vocals, i would pick wood hands down. for the 'unique natural reverb' effect each diff shaped room, woods etc can give.

if i were just mixing and recording direct into a computer, then natural reverb dont matter, so just do your family a favor and use carpet to absorb anything that might try bouncing through walls. or at least minimize it...

[LabRat]

My room in wooden floorboards… don't do it lol

[street]

pretty sure if you are recording live you want to be able to get the dryest sound possible, as you can apply reverb, delay, fx later down the track, so i think carpet floor would be best.

[mattus123]

Yea if your doing recording you want to have as little echos and that as possible so you get the most natural sound

Your gonna wanna go carpet over wood for that reason, but its also important to know that carpet doesnt really absorb much sound below 2kHz

[LabRat]

Carpet and pillows / sheets are the best start, acoustically, for someone starting out. I have a pillow under my sub and that does the job perfectly.

[russell]

Yea if your doing recording you want to have as little echos and that as possible so you get the most natural sound

Your gonna wanna go carpet over wood for that reason, but its also important to know that carpet doesnt really absorb much sound below 2kHz

I don't have any need for recording anything live. not yet anyway. All I can find on the subject seems to be from a live recording point of view.

The following is from an exchange that took place in the rec.audio.pro newsgroup in May, 2003:

Bill Ruys asked: Why it is recommended to have bare (un-carpeted) floors in the studio? One web site I visited mentioned that a bare floor was a prerequisite for the room design with diffusors and absorbers on the ceiling, but didn't say why. I'm trying to understand the principal, rather than following blindly.

Paul Stamler: Carpet typically absorbs high frequencies and some midrange, but does nothing for bass and lower midrange. Using carpet as an acoustic treatment, in most rooms, results in a room that is dull and boomy. Most of the time you need a thicker absorber such as 4-inch or, better, 6-inch fiberglass, or acoustic tile, and you can't walk around on either of those. Hence the general recommendation that you avoid carpet on the floor and use broadband absorbers elsewhere.

Lee Liebner: the human ear is accustomed to determining spatial references from reflections off of side walls and floor, and a low ceiling would only confuse the brain with more early reflections it doesn't need. Everywhere you go, the floor is always the same distance away from you, so it's a reference that your brain can always relate to. Top

John Noll: Reasons for having wood floors: they look good, equipment can be rolled easily, spills can be cleaned up easily, provide a bright sound if needed, sound can be deadened with area rugs.

Ethan Winer: In a studio room, versus a control room, a reflective floor is a great way to get a nice sense of ambience when recording acoustic instruments. Notice I said reflective, not wood, since linoleum and other materials are less expensive than wood yet sound the same. When you record an acoustic guitar or clarinet or whatever, slight reflections off the floor give the illusion of "being right there in the room" on the recording. It's more difficult to use a ceiling for ambience - especially in a typical home studio with low ceilings - because the mikes are too close to the ceiling when miking from above. And that proximity creates comb filtering which can yield a hollow sound. So with a hard floor surface you can get ambience, and with full absorption on the ceiling you can put the mike above the instrument, very close to the ceiling, without getting comb filtering.

Dave Wallingford: I've always preferred wood floors for a few reasons: 1) It's easier to move stuff around, 2) You can always get area rugs if you need them, And the main reason: 3) Pianos sound like crap on carpet

Carpet and pillows / sheets are the best start, acoustically, for someone starting out. I have a pillow under my sub and that does the job perfectly.

Yeah i'm not really starting out so I'm gonna go for something a bit better than pillows and sheets I reckon.

[Kodiak]

I don't have any need for recording anything live. not yet anyway. All I can find on the subject seems to be from a live recording point of view.

Then what difference does the construction of the room make? In this case I go for carpet, it is much nicer under the feet.

[LabRat]

Pillows and sheets are a cheap and effective

Fuck paying 350 a square meter for soundproofing lol

[russell]

Fuck paying 350 a square meter for soundproofing lol

Doesn't cost quite as much as that for dampening tiles.

Then what difference does the construction of the room make? In this case I go for carpet, it is much nicer under the feet.

Like i said I want to have the best environment for monitoring purposes, hence the discussion on whats best, if any.

[SweetIshDub]

I havent found much info on floors for monitoring i my searches but I think its because the part of the room that is the most crucial are your first reflection points and since your ears point sideways the walls are going to make a much bigger impact than the floor.

I dont know how well carpet works for sound dampening but if it does, I would go with wood just because you wouldn't want acoustic foam to cover your whole wall so why the floor.

Just my two cents but if I'm wrong someone tell me haha

[mattus123]

just don't set up ur studio in the corner of the room, something to do with the bass collecting in the corner and not giving you a true sound, or something like that

ive also heard of people placing sound absorbers at the first angle of reflection (which would most likely be behind you)

[russell]

just don't set up ur studio in the corner of the room, something to do with the bass collecting in the corner and not giving you a true sound, or something like that

Yeah it will be going along the length of the wall.

ive also heard of people placing sound absorbers at the first angle of reflection (which would most likely be behind you)

The wall behind my set-up will require it cos unless you have about 2 feet between the monitors and the wall you get early reflection particularly from the low end.

[GREMM1S]

Smear poo over carpet for the best results

[Mitch]

gremmis pls don't be a faget in on-topic discussion

[Tomy]

yeah i think carpet would be your best choice. I've currently got a room with line-o stuff in there. I've just bought a rug which take up most of the floor. bass isn't really an issue it does collect in the back of the room, I don't currently have a sub so that's where i stand to hear what happening with my low end. If you worried about the carpet taking too much hi-end out go the wooden floor and just get a rug. start with a short haired rug and if its not enough get a shaggy one.

hi-end will most likely be more trouble if its bouncing from the walls.

[lok204]

I have floor boards and I hate it!!

It makes the room cold and I'm sure that it creates acoustic issues with reverb in the room. I put a big heavy rug down but eh...

[djrhysj]

Some nice carpet would be better imo

[dflux4]

What about those gym floor tiles?? Surely they would absorb low end frequencies?? Cost effective, not quite sure.....